I’ve always been jokingly told that secret to being happy is to have low expectations. Maybe there is some truth to that. After reading this article I’ve realised the dangers of blinding following ones passion in pursuit of the holy grail of dream jobs. The article states that we should exercise caution with “fantasy” as ultimately, how often can reality match up to it? I too struggle with the balancing act of being realistic and going for gold. Although at this point as an unemployed student who cannot cook I’d be very happy to land any job.
I personally agree that it isn’t helpful to aim for a very narrow “ultimate” dream job as mentioned in the article because:
- With the onset of technology and the prevalence of media, the jobs most of us will be doing in years to come may not have even been thought of yet.
- It makes it more difficult to appreciate what you already have.
- No one will ever be satisfied if they keep saying “well, one day…”
—
On the opposite end of the argument I’m reminded of a time I went to visit the dentist.
He asked, “So what are you doing in uni?”
I replied,”Media. It’s no dentistry course but it’s what I’ve wanted to do for ages.”
We joked about this for a while and it turns out he has seen so many people drop out and quit because they didn’t love meddling with people’s teeth enough.
He ended abruptly with a dark comment, “dentists have one of the highest suicide rates.”
So there is still the danger of throwing dreams out of the window to follow a financially sturdy career or appease one’s parents.